


let's not try to figure out everything at once

by Skerda



Category: Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Magnus and Alec's Great Gay World Tour, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 16:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7323280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skerda/pseuds/Skerda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus and Alec, on their round-the-world trip. It's their last night in Italy, and Alec can't quite believe his luck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let's not try to figure out everything at once

**Author's Note:**

> Another short fic as I try to get into the swing of writing for this pairing. Any reviews/concrit would be more than welcome! Everything here belongs to Cassandra Clare.

Alec was half sure this was all a dream.

He leaned back in his seat, glass of red in hand, and allowed his eyes to wander. They’d been doing a lot of that tonight, transfixed equally by the beauty of his surroundings and by the magnetic charm of his dinner partner. It was their last night in Italy; tomorrow they would fly east, to New Delhi, and from there, he didn’t know. The whole trip had been Magnus’s idea, and it was Magnus who’d planned their itinerary.

"Where are we going?" Alec would ask at each airport, dragging their luggage behind him with one hand, the other twined tightly with Magnus’s. The warlock would look at him sideways, eyes creased in a smile.  
"Let’s find out," he’d reply. 

For some reason, he’d insisted that they fly from destination to destination rather than simply use portals, as Alec had expected. Long queues, delays, passport control – it was all part of the travel experience, apparently. Alec wasn’t convinced, but then again, Magnus had done a lot more travelling than he ever would. In this, as in most things, he was happy to trust his older, dubiously wiser boyfriend. It was nice, actually, to let someone else take the lead for once. 

It was nice for plenty of other reasons, too. Alec took another sip of wine, relaxing further into his chair. They’d just finished a late dinner at Crotto dei Platani, a lakeside restaurant with spectacular views of both Lake Como and the Alps. Magnus had excused himself a few minutes ago to find the bathroom, leaving Alec free to sit back and breathe in the night air. No demons, no domineering parents, no conniving siblings nearly as invested in his relationship as he was. He’d had (sparse) contact with Jace and Izzy and Clary because Magnus insisted on sending them a quick message every now and then. Aside from that, though, they were completely alone. And their trip wasn’t even halfway over yet.

He spied Magnus weaving his way back across the restaurant floor towards him. His magical, unearthly boyfriend was dressed to the nines, as usual. It said something that they were surrounded by frankly gorgeous Italian men, and yet every woman in the place turned their heads to watch him go by. Several of the men did too. Alec grinned. 

“Well, darling,” Magnus cooed, sliding into his seat opposite Alec. “Getting stuck in to that Monfortino without me, I see. No patience, no patience at all.” He held out his own drained glass, waggling it until Alec gave in and poured him out another. The deep red of the wine matched the dyed tips of his hair, Alec noticed. And the red of his nail varnish. It was so typical of Magnus to coordinate everything like this, another trait that had become so endearing in Alec’s eyes. 

His examination of Magnus’s nails led naturally to a glance at the warlock’s lips. Alec lingered on his mouth for a moment before Magnus cleared his throat gently. When Alec refocused, the warlock’s expression was achingly soft. 

Alec smiled. “Are you, uh…are you having a good time? Out here with me, I mean. I know I can be a stick in the mud sometimes.”

Magnus laughed. “What, just because you refused to come sky diving with me the other day? It’s hardly the first time I’ve done that alone. Ragnor tried it once and threw up before the plane took off.”  
“Well, that and other things…”  
“Oh,” Magnus smirked. “You mean the number of times I’ve had to save you from spiders, my sweet?”  
Alec tried not to smile, but it was impossible. “Sure, that too.” European spiders seemed to get everywhere, and no one seemed particularly bothered by them. He should have been embarrassed by his reactions every time he found one in the hotel bathtub, but Magnus was consistently amused and enjoyed playing saviour to his big bad Shadowhunter, for once.

“Alexander,” Magnus said. He reached out to brush his fingers over Alec’s hand, resting on the tablecloth. “I’m having a wonderful time with you. I always do. You know that.” His expression was so gentle, his touch so warm, that Alec dropped his gaze to his wineglass, words sticking in his throat. He wanted to return the favour, to explain how happy being with Magnus made him – seeing him rumpled and half-awake in the mornings, watching him yawn on his way to the bathroom, seeing him choose his makeup for the day. They’d started off in London, in an old townhouse once owned by Ragnor Fell, gifted to Magnus after his death. Alec knew the sight of Magnus in the fresh English mist, the memory of strolling the green hills of Wiltshire arm in arm, would last him a lifetime. They’d gone from England up north to Scotland, roaming from Edinburgh to Glasgow to Oban, and then taken a ferry to Belfast and driven around Ireland for a week. From Ireland, France. From France, Spain and Portugal, then up to Germany and Austria, before wandering down through Italy. In the two months they’d been gone, Alec had heard Magnus speak a dozen languages and had watched him interact with hundreds of people. This was Magnus in his element. Magnus Bane, free from the burdens and responsibilities that came with being High Warlock of Brooklyn. It was a privilege to be with him, to share this with him. But Alec had never been great at words, not in the way Magnus was.

He would try, anyway. “Magnus, this has been…I mean, I know we’re not anywhere near done yet, but I, uh, I want you to know how much I’ve enjoyed this. How much I am enjoying this.” He risked a glance up. Magnus was still smiling, expression, if possible, even softer than before.  
“I should certainly hope so, with the amount of money I’m blowing on this thing.” He brushed a thumb over Alec’s wrist one more time, and then leaned back in his seat, retrieving his glass of wine. “Not that I don’t have enough to blow, of course.” The smirk that followed that double entendre made Alec’s face heat.  
They began to talk about the next leg of their journey. India. Alec never imagined going so far from home. With Magnus, he felt like he could he could go anywhere in the world, and never once look back. Over a frustratingly vague conversation about their plans (Magnus still refused to tell him much) they finished the last of their wine, and Magnus called to the waiter in rolling Italian for the bill. Their dinner paid for, they sat for a minute longer at their table, staring out together across the lake at the lights of the villas, glowing in the dark. 

Suddenly there was a loud wolf whistle, and Alec turned in his seat to see a young man slide to one knee a few tables away. His girlfriend slapped a hand to her mouth, listening avidly to what the man was saying – Alec couldn’t understand it, but he didn’t really need to.  
“Sì,” she whispered, voice shaking. “Sì, sì.”  
She repeated the word a dozen times, saying it over and over even as her fiancé was sliding the ring onto her finger. The tables around them erupted into applause. 

“Ah,” Magnus grinned, bracelets jingling together as he clapped his elegant hands. “Fantastic. I love it when the night ends on a good note.” He raised his voice a little, shouting over to the newly engaged couple. “Congratulazioni” The young man, looking bewildered at his own success, flashed Magnus a dazed smile. The woman seemed lost for words. 

“Fantastic,” said Magnus again, lips quirked in a faint smile. “What a place to do it, hmm?” His eyes, when they met Alec’s, were teasing. They both knew they were nowhere near that stage themselves, but there was something there, Alec thought, something quiet and hopeful in Magnus’s face. Whatever it was, it made him look painfully young all of a sudden. 

“What a place to do it,” Alec agreed. What the happy couple was doing now, he didn’t know. For some reason, he couldn’t seem to look away from the man who sat before him. Candlelight was curling lovingly along the warlock’s cheekbones, painting his skin in sepia and shadow. It flickered, reflected, in Magnus’s eyes. He’d never looked less human, yet so inviting. Alec decided, with tipsy determination, to keep that young smile on Magnus’s face for as long as he could. Screw hunting demons, he thought. This would be his new mission. 

After another few moments, Magnus turned back to him, hands still pressed together from applause. “Hmm,” he murmured again. His pupils, already wide in the darkness, had dilated further. His gaze dropped to Alec’s mouth, as Alec’s had his earlier. There was something ferocious and hungry in his expression. “Time to go, don't you think? Our hotel room awaits us.”

“And India,” Alec said, standing and reaching for his boyfriend’s hand. Magnus dropped a tip for the waiter onto their table and leaned up to kiss him, softly. 

“India,” he agreed, a breath of air against Alec’s lips, “and on to pastures new.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks also to the lovely anon who corrected my Italian! <3


End file.
